Pediatric hygienist here- don’t switch to the regular dentist yet, your child still needs his 12 year old molars sealed and general dentists are bad about this. Make sure your pediatric office is checking and touching up existing sealants. Some people don’t floss and never get decay or periodontal disease- others aren’t so fortunate and have to be vigilant with hygiene.

If your child will need braces it is good that the hygienist is lecturing now. Poor hygiene and braces can cause the gums to be super inflamed and spread out over the teeth. Many orthodontists will remove braces if hygiene is so poor that enamel is demineralizing around brackets. I absolutely did floss my relcacitrant tween daughter’s teeth.

Buy disclosing tablets and if there is plaque stained red at gum line, you need to help him brush before bed until he gets it right. Be grateful your hygienist cares enough to lecture. Many are only allotted short appointment times and are too burnt out to care. It is common in general dentist offices to have dental assistants do children’s cleanings- which isn’t legal or ethical.

DH is a dentist and our kids only floss when a hygiene visit is getting close, I think..:and after the appt for awhile after being reprimanded lol. None of them have ever had a dental problem or a cavity. DH does nag and lecture them but it doesn’t stick for long.

Hygienists are just doing their jobs. Sounds fairly normal. There is always (always!) tons of candy, soda and other junk in the break room. For example. And their kids get cavities sometimes too.

My kids use the floss picks - I don’t love the extra plastic but it gets them to floss.